Cooking Today

Food Recalls ... -

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2008 - Nestlé Prepared Foods Company, a Mt. Sterling, Ky., establishment, is recalling approximately 215,660 pounds of frozen stuffed pepperoni pizza sandwich products that may contain for More.....

Let's Talk Steak

Come over to my house, any weekend afternoon and you will likely be greeted by the alluring aroma of a grilling steak in the backyard. We are from Texas; it's a tradition after all. Barbequing the perfect steak is an art form. It takes practice and patience to master it. Many people however, really don't take BBQ seriously. They think that they can light a fire, slap a piece of meat on the grill, and cook until charred. If you are one of these people, keep reading.

Below are some easy steps that will make you a grilling pro in no time.

• Let your steak reach room temperature before cooking it. This will really help the meat to cook through evenly. Put a cold steak on the grill, and the fire has to do twice as much work to heat the meat through to the center. The result: a burned outside and a raw inside. That's not a good thing.

• Trim the steak of excess fat. Any strips of fat should be about 1/4" thick. Also cut through the fat strip about every 1 1/2". This is not only healthier, but will allow your steaks to keep their nice flat appearance. Excess fat can also lead to flair-ups which no BBQ'er wants to deal with.

• Seasoning is important. You can decide to make your marinades and rubs, or go with a store bought version. Some of my very favorite meat preparations came right off the store shelf- so don't be afraid to go this route.

• Preheat the grill. Hot as it will go for a gas grill or a single layer of ashy white coals for a charcoal grill. Don't skip this step or your meat will end up burned or undercooked.

• Oil the grate. An easy way to do this is to take a piece of trimmed fat, hold in tightly in a pair of tongs and rub it on the hot grate. This will prevent the meat from sticking and provide an even grilling surface.

• Timing is important. I usually don't bother with making perfect grill marks, just keep an eye on your steaks and rotate it often to get an even cook.

• Let it rest. Every piece of meat should sit for 2-3 minutes if not more. Never cut or pierce your meat, it will cause you to lose the inner juices which make the meat so tasty!

• Learn how to do a pressure test. You can use a meat thermometer while you are learning this technique, but it really is handy. When you are getting close to having a done steak press it with your index finger. A rare steak will be soft like your cheek. A medium steak will be firm but yielding like the tip of your nose. A well steak will be firm like your forehead. Once you get the hang of this trick you will be able to remove steaks from the grill at just the correct second.

Grilling can be a bit intimidating if you aren't familiar with the tips and tricks of the trade. It may take a couple times to get the hang of it, but once you do, you will be hooked for life. There is really nothing better in the world then a nice, big, juicy steak hot off the grill. Happy Grilling!